AMERICAN FOOTBALL: It's the Carolina Panthers v Denver Broncos in Superbowl 50

The Big Stories

Superbowl Fever arrives in San Francisco

Excitement levels in San Francisco are at all-time high, as the NFL rolled into town for the Superbowl weekend.

Things kicked off on Monday night and since then players have spent hours talking to the world’s media, resulting in Panther’s quarterback, Cam Newton, turning the tables on reporters, telling them to up their game after spending several days answering the same questions over and over again.

For Denver, the focus is all on 39-year-old Peyton Manning who has remained quiet about the retirement rumours, although he did admit he is not the player he once was.

Indianapolis Colts owner, Jim Irsay, revealed he had approached Manning about returning to his former team for one final season, explaining that the quarterback had other things to think about at the moment.

Manning also lamented the lack of privacy at the 50-yard line after cameras caught his private conversations with Brady and Belichick after the AFC Championship game, when it is believed he told the Patriots head coach: “this might be my last rodeo.”

Coldplay front-man, Chris Martin, hitched a lift to the halftime show with James Corden in the latest installment of the Late Late Show’s Carpool Karaoke and has revealed that Beyoncé will join the band on stage during their 12 minute set.

End of the road for Johnny Manziel

As reported in this column, it has been a turbulent season for Browns quarterback, Johnny Manziel, leading the team to victory on the field and breaking the rules off it.

On Tuesday the team announced they will cut Manziel on March 9 when the new league year begins.

“We’ve been clear about expectations for our players on and off the field” said Sashi Brown, new vice-president of football operations. “Johnny’s continual involvement in incidents that run counter to those expectations undermines the hard work of his teammates and the reputation of our organization.”

Manziel was fined last month for missing a medical treatment appointment at the Browns facility and was benched earlier in the season after a video emerged of him partying in a club just a week after being cleared of wrongdoing in a roadside incident involving his girlfriend.

The final straw may have been the report that Manziel was being investigated by Texas police for an alleged incident involving his ex-girlfriend.

Chargers to stay in San Diego

The Chargers have announced that they will remain in San Diego for the 2016 season, with hopes to negotiate a stadium deal in the city.

The team’s chairman, Dean Spano, released a statement last week detailing his plans moving forward: “Today I decided our team will stay in San Diego for the 2016 season and I hope for the long term in a new stadium.”

Following the relocation vote last month, the Chargers have a year-long option to join the Rams in Los Angeles which will then pass to the Oakland Raiders in 2017, if they turn it down.

Quarterback, Philip Rivers, was pleased by the news: “Obviously I’m fired up, as I know the guys will be in that building.

"Hopefully the fans are as fired up as we are. We get at least one more go out at Qualcomm and in San Diego.

“It is exciting news, so I am fired up.”

Extra Point changes positive

While kickers may not have liked the extra point being moved back to the 15-yard line this season, it certainly made games more interesting.

“Our accuracy rate was 99.6per cent. The kickers have gotten so extraordinarily good”, said NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, earlier this week. “What we wanted to do was put more risk into that play and more competition and focus.

“We did that. Our success rate dropped to about 94per cent…And I think that’s good for the game.

“I think it’s good to create excitement with every play. We don’t want any play not have the potential to have some impact on the outcome of the game.”

That 94per cent marks the lowest conversion rate since 1982 and led to an increase in teams attempting more risky two-point conversions, with the Steelers setting a single-season record with eight.

Goodell also confirmed that the league had found no PSI violations, in other words no deflated footballs, during spot checks, initiated this season following the deflategate scandal that erupted during last season’s AFC championship game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots.

The commissioner also revealed that the league had not conducted any scientific research into how footballs respond to air pressure, opting to enforce the league guidelines and use the spot checks as deterrents instead.

Superbowl 50 Preview

Carolina Panthers @ Denver Broncos

It’s the Sheriff vs the New Kid as Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos take on Cam Newton and the Panthers.

The Panthers are the favourites coming into the Superbowl having lost only one game all season.

Despite repeatedly being referred to as the underdogs, this is a team that dominated, thanks to the emergence of Cam Newton as a dual-threat quarterback with his strong arm and fast feet.

The MVP candidate had plenty of options on his offensive line including tight end, Greg Olsen, and running back, Jonathan Steward, with the team averaging 31.2 points per game.

With an equally dominant defense and a big bag of tricks, the Panthers are a strong contender and have appeared confident all week.

The Broncos are aiming to secure Manning that elusive second Superbowl ring, after failing against the Seahawks two-years-ago in Superbowl XLVIII.

Manning himself admits that his arm strength is not what it was, but it is his strength as a game planner that will matter most on Sunday.

The veteran quarterback’s game management skills are arguably the best in the league. He knows when to extend drives, when to act quickly and, according to his receivers, his throws are still the easiest to catch.

The Broncos have not has the easiest road to the Superbowl and it has repeatedly been the defense that got them the win.

One of the best in the league, it has triumphed over the likes of Aaron Rogers and Matthew Stafford, hitting Tom Brady 25 times in the AFC Championship game.

It has not, however, had to face a running quarterback like Cam Newton, who scored ten rushing touchdowns in the regular season.

Superstition is also playing a part this weekend with the team’s uniforms. The Broncos will play in white having lost four Superbowls in orange and the Panthers will be in black having lost to the Patriots wearing white in 2004.

However, both teams know it is how they play on the night that really counts.

The answer to who will raise the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night is just four quarters of football away.

The Superbowl will be shown live on BBC Two on Sunday, February 7, with coverage starting at 10.50pm with kick-off at 11.30pm.

On Monday: A review of the big game plus reaction to Coldplay’s halftime show and a brief analysis of what Lady Gaga wore to sing the National Anthem.